"Start with yourself": a pilot project to combat obesity and prevent cardiovascular diseases has been launched in Mordovia with the support of PROMOMED

On June 28, the republican project "Start with yourself" was launched in Mordovia, aimed at reducing body weight and preventing the risks of atherosclerosis-mediated cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in overweight or obese patients.

The project contributes to the achievement of national development goals defined by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 7, 2024 No. 309 "On the National Development Goals of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 and for the future up to 2036", in particular, to increase life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in Russia.

The project is being implemented with the support of the Russian Ministry of Health and the innovative biopharmaceutical company PROMOMED. The Republic of Mordovia has become a pilot region, which will serve as an example for further scaling of the project in other regions of the Russian Federation.


Photo: Press service of the Head of the Republic of Mordovia

The participants of the republican project "Start with yourself" will be medical workers who are overweight or obese.

Oksana Drapkina, Director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation", Chief Freelance Specialist in Therapy and General Medical Practice of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation:

"The main purpose of my visit to my beloved Mordovia is to strengthen measures to prevent chronic noncommunicable diseases. Special attention is paid to the fight against obesity: this is a growing threat, and we have specific plans to identify, control, and treat it. In Mordovia, we are creating a preventive continuum, from a healthy environment to the identification and control of risk factors and the fight against major threats, primarily obesity. A set of measures to increase life expectancy."

At the initiative of Oksana Drapkina, the Russian Ministry of Health conducted the largest epidemiological study of ESSE-RF (Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases and their Risk Factors in the regions of the Russian Federation), which confirmed that obesity is the most important risk factor for cardiovascular disasters and reduced life expectancy. The losses from diseases related to obesity for our state amount to 4% of GDP, that is, more than 7 trillion rubles.

Artyom Zdunov, Head of the Republic of Mordovia:

"Now we are all fighting for people to live longer, be healthy, and have more children. Man is our main wealth! The name of the program is very good — “Start with yourself". Any prevention and medical examination provides an opportunity to improve health and improve the quality of life. Another pilot project is aimed at this, which Mordovia is joining, to create an Active Longevity Center in the republic."

Peter Bely, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC PROMOMED:

"It is a great honor for PJSC to become a partner of the republican program "Start with yourself"PROMOMED”. The key effect of the program is the healthy longevity of our society and the reduction of the economic burden, which consists in shifting the focus from expensive “extinguishing fires” to their prevention. Every stroke, heart attack, or diabetes case prevented is a life saved and millions of budget funds saved for treatment and rehabilitation. The "Start with Yourself" program is an investment in a healthy future, in the healthy longevity of the citizens of the Republic of Mordovia."

During her visit to Mordovia, Oksana Drapkina also visited the Biochemist plant of the PROMMED Group, where she personally saw how the Company's breakthrough drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, overweight and obesity were manufactured.

In addition, the guest visited the Federal Center for the Development of Biotechnologies and Medicine, opened on the basis of the Ogarev Moscow State University with the support of PROMOMED. The center's mission is to localize the development and ensure the full production cycle of new biotechnological drugs in Russia, including for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.